Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning by Liz Cheney, 4/5 stars (but everyone should still read it), Memoir, 372 pages, 2023
I’m not a Republican. I’m not a Democrat. Until Liz Cheney, third in Republican Party leadership, stood up for truth unlike the vast majority of her party, I would have considered my view of her to be negative. But when a woman has the courage that Liz has shown, I respect her. Her work on the January 6th Committee was such a show of intelligence, strength and resolve. In this book she tells the story of the 2020 election from day one through what’s happening in our country right now.
This is the story of the moment when American democracy began to unravel. It is the story of the men and women who fought to save it, and of the enablers and collaborators whose actions ensured the threat would grown and metastasize. It is the story of the most dangerous man to inhabit the Oval office, and of the many steps he took to subvert our Constitution.
Since 1797, when George Washington voluntarily handed the power of the presidency to John Adams, every American president has fulfilled his solemn obligation to guarantee the peaceful transfer of power- until Donald Trump. (first paragraghs)
This is will be hard for Republicans to read, but those Republicans who rely on Fox News and other far right media are the ones who need to read it most. One of the more conservative of her party she was shown the door because she refused to stand for Trump’s election lies. They all knew it and she brings the receipts.
How we got to this point where a majority of Republicans believe the stolen election lies is frustrating. I encourage everyone to read this book because democracy really is on the ballot in the next election.
“If Trump is on the ballot, the 2024 election will not just be about inflation, or budget deficits, or national security, or any of the many critical issues we Americans normally face. We will be voting on whether to preserve our republic. As a nation, we can endure damaging policies for a four-year term. But we cannot survive a president willing to terminate our Constitution.
…This is more important than partisan politics. Every one of us-Republican, Democrat, Independent- must work and vote together to ensure that Donald Trump and those who have appeased, enabled, and collaborated with him are defeated.” (closing paragraphs)
A few thoughts I had while reading. You can listen to someone you disagree with. Cheney is reporting facts and opinions in this book. I can appreciate her first hand knowledge on what was happening in Congress at the time (fact), but still disagree with her love for Ronald Reagan (opinion). Just as I can dislike Dick Cheney as a politician, but love him as a supportive father for her during this time. Just as Cheney said this about Speaker Nancy Pelosi, “She did not try to micromanage the work of the January 6th Committee, but she was there whenever we needed her. And over the next 18 months, every time I went to her with a concern, a proposed approach, or a request that she intervene with Democrats to help guide things in the right direction, she backed me up. Every time. A relationship that had been unimaginable just a few months earlier would now become indispensable.” (p 201)
I think everyone should read it, especially if you didn’t watch the January 6 public presentations, which are still to be found on YouTube 🙂 The people that helped sell the lie are still in Congress and waiting to aid and abet once again if called upon.
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